Tuesday, March 30, 2010

A wonderful meal last night at M and S Grill on the plaza thanks to Big Sky Brewing Co. who has introduced a new line of beer in our market last year, leading the way with Moose Drool, named after the original image for the brewery where a Moose is coming out of a pond with water on his beard looking like he was wanting a bottle of his own.

Trout Slayer Ale.. 4.6% alcohol, all about the citrus, and lemon curd ... almost perfumy, matched well with the mixed green salad and feta...

Big Sky IPA 6.2%v grapefruit from the hops...interesting pine resin.. not as bitter as was expecting with IPA... pan seared diver scallop... very nice

Buckin Monk Tripel Ale.. 10% alc... and malted milk, sweet and heavy, I was not alone in the group trying to figure out if I liked it or not... I kept going back to it... and drank it all but I dont think I really liked it.the last sip I had was reminder of a Banana Creme Pie... may never be made again...served with a blue crab and lobster bisque which really showed off the sweetness

Moose Drool Brown Ale 5.2% a dark lager...which did well with the Filet... and tarragon Bearnaise maybe the weakest pairing but both tasted very well

Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout 10% alc. finished in old bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace our host said, even though the website says Jim Beam...first impression is of molassis, mocha and bourbon, thick and unctious in texture you could see how this beer could easily stay and develop in the bottle for several months to come.. coffee and kahlua... I couldnt image drinking more than one of these, much like a port after dinner.... paired with Chocolate Pots du creme. exquisite

Monday, March 29, 2010

L'adventure Optimus.. 2008 surprisingly astringent and uninteresting.. expected more from this estate.

Estate Cuvee 2008... lush fruit.. cant find my notes

Cote d' Cote 2008 side by side... was a blend of grenache and syrah, now with Mourvedre also... cant find my notes but remembered it had a very tight nose but after a few seconds the finish was more of coffee and dark berry's.

Gassier Nostre Pais Costieres de Nimes 2007 dark purple, somewhat astringent on the palate... some of the coffee and mocha but a little more dense and dull... quick finish. strange label...a little too much iodine.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The most dangerous section of Lake Michigan is known as Death's Door. and here is where the grain is grown.

Vodka wheat and barley... sweet on the palate..it says sweet cream flavors and I can see that... good acidity.

Gin only uses 3 botanicals... juniper, fennel and coriander, sweet and fennel on the palate.. i can see this going into some of the more new style old cocktails/

White Whiskey 80% wheat and 20 barley... distilled twice.. interesting nose of saki almost teqiula without the lime hints.. again sweet flavors a little banana on the end.. done in oak that comes through the very end... the oak is very minimal though... very.. 72 hours or so.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Hudson Shah Chardonnay Columbia Valley 2007 some apple and banana on the nose, caramel and interesting flavors that I cant quite put my finger on... creamy finish but for the money a little off

Maghee Cellars Merlot Rattlesnack Hill 2004... port nose from ripe fruit, juicy finish. still a young pup can use time to settle down, pomerol in washington?

Dussek Family Cellars Cabernet Rattlesnake Hill 2004.. tomato sauce on the nose, soft tannin and juicy fruit, almost like chocolate cake... but the 04 scares me, even though this is their current release it will be priced against 06

Kennedy Shah La Vie en Rouge 2005 bright cherry fruit, bright purple in the glass. some cotton candy soft red fruit... coffee finish... i thought it was going to be a little old but again.. 05 is their currrent vintage

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

A tasting of 2005 Barolo. Most of these will be pre-orders if any of them sound worthy give me an email or call at the store.

Scavino is a third generation winery in the piedmont. the 2005 vintage of barolo is said to be classic... which basically means if you can't make good wine that year you should try something else for a living.Scavino tries to be a blend of old and new style of barolo, instead of using the small oak bariques and giving a lot of maceration time to get more of the fruit and grapes together.. yet staying with some of the older practices they are trying to bridge a gap between the two styles.

Rosso Vino da Tavola 2008 a blend of nebbiolo, barbera and dolcetto with a touch of cabernet. dark fruit nose, dark in the glass.. good berry fruits and not overly tannic.. nice blended wine.

Scavino Barolo DOCG 2005... this is their basic barolo.. earthy nose with a little perfume to it.. roses and earth.. dark cherry fruit on the palate with a longish finish.. nice fruit through it.

Scavino Cannubi Barolo 2004 another perfume nose... bright color in the glass, enjoyable tannin play and long finish.. single vineyard

Scavino Carobic Barolo 2005...noticing a trend in pretty aromas on the nose, great texture.. this wine was in the top 100 of wine spectator for 2009.

Scavino Bric del Fiasc Barolo 2005 a blend of several best single vineyards.. bright fruit, lots of acidity...great wine.

Scavino Bricco Ambrogio Barolo 2005... a lighter style of wine, from newer vineyard sites.. not as full bodied but still tasty... more toward the new style of barolo

Scavino Rochhe dell'Annunziata 2003 done in more the traditional style of barolo with the bricky finish.. more tobacco and tar less fresh fruit.. lots of texture though and long finish.. definitely noticing the oak more.

It is always a pleasure when owners come into the market. last month it was Robin Lail , today Shari and Garen Staglin dropped in the store for a visit. Smart business people with a passion for great wine

Staglin Family Vineyards Salus Vineyard 2007 Salus is the Roman goddess of health, hence the word Salut for a toast to good health. Surprisingly rich and creamy for no ML treatment.

Staglin Estate Chardonnay 2007... beautiful amber yellow, good acidity, a little heat on the palate, very round on the finish.. even a little more creamy than the Salus..

Staglin Salus Cabernet Sauvignon 2006.. didnt like the first aromas, very green but interestingly enough the fruit was so much deeper in flavor than I would have ever thought. rich and full of textures. 100% cab made from younger vines, so I have hope that this wine will end up even better with some age to it.

Staglin Estate Cabernet 2006.. much more finessed almost racy in its texture and mouthfeel.. dark purple in the glass and dark fruits on the palate...a nuanced touch of oak... a great aging potential.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Baumard Cremant Cuvee de Tourquoise.. nv.. sparkling chenin blanc that has a nice creamy mousse and almost bone dry which is surprising for the sweeter chenin

Vinum Chenin/Viognier 2008 California takes the place of the Vinum Chard-no-way...light and not terribly interesting comparied to past vintages...

Wine by Joe Oregon Pinot Noir 2008... some really great aromas.. a bright fruit with a little green finish, that should go away with some age.. a little mocha on the finish.

Novy 4 mile blend 2008.. predominately shiraz and zin. and a little of the kitchen sink... bright purple in the glass.. dark fruit flavors especially on the mid palate... would like tohave a longer finish but still good for the money

Monday, March 8, 2010

2007 Cornin Beaujolais Blanc... 100% chard.. from the beaujolais region... mostly known for gamay grape wines.. no wood.. not very interesting.. except for the uniqueness of the wine itself.. needs a little more body and fruit.

2007 Brocard Montee de Tonnerre premier cru chablis... 100% chard... not as crisp as I was expecting..

2008 Gilles Robin Cuvee Papillon Croze Hermitage syrah... lots of white pepper on thenose and some nice blueberry on the palate but quick finish and for the money I was expecting a little more

2007 Niepoort Vertente Portugal.. made with indigenous port grapes... dark color in the glass but not showing a lot of flavors on the palate... just having been shipped in they may still suffer from bottle shock.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Blackberry Liquor made from Black berry and Marionberries. very tart like gooseberry

Cherry Liquor made from bing cherries and tastes like cherry pie filling...

Eau de Vie of Douglas Fir, definitely the most interesting thing I have had in my mouth in ages.. light green color, they actually put fir needles in the brandy.. interesting pine cone nose with long lasting flavors. I can see this being more of a mixer than digestive...

2007 Cochon Syrah Massa Ranch Napa Valley dark coffee on the nose, dark fruit on the palate but it ends pretty quick... a little hot on the palate

2008 The Temp Tempranillo Clements Hill cedar on the nose, pretty juicy fruit and good finish... shows the difference between cali and spain temp though...no earthiness here., the clones are from the Ribera del Douro which is my favorite spanish wine region.

2008 Unusual Suspects 55% field blend, back in the old days farmers would plant all varietals together and they are all harvested at the same time... alicante bouchet, carignan, etc. dark purple in the glass, a little hot also..

2008 Veritable Quandry red.. 36% grenache.. and a bunch of other stuff... one note sticks out... iodine, juicy and hot

2009 Dream Albarino Lodi taking a cool climate wine and putting it in a hot area like Lodi the grape changes a lot... what was soft with some nutty character becomes a wannabe New Zealand sauv bloanc... catpee and rhubarb on the nose, green veggie on the palate, does have some of the texture of it.. but overall strange little wine.

2008 Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay Chile... some malo and 100% barrel makes an american style chard... good viscosity and fruit...

2006 Telmoo Rodgriguez Gago. Spain Toro.... made from Tinto di Toro or Tempranillo, the grape of Rioja, but as syrah reacts differently to australia versus Cornas, so tempranillo does between rioja and toro... dense rich and ripe not a bit of the typical saddleleather that Rioja exhibits.

2007 Decero Malbec Argentina the second vintage for this producer... definitely in the style that parker likes, big, bold and juicy... dark purple in color ... dark fruit on the palate...

2007 Finca Decero Amano Argentina.. best blocks of their grapes make this wine. malbec, cab and tannat... round flavors but the cab does show through... wine of the day...

2007 Errazuriz late harvest sauv blanc... late picked so higher in sugar... honey and apricot on the nose, but a little blunt, nice mouthfeel on the palate but a little medicinal on the finish... not a winner...